


Unexpected

by TourmalineQueen



Category: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2 - Fandom
Genre: ACii era, F/M, Genderswap, clueless Ezio is clueless
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-01-18 09:51:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1424125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TourmalineQueen/pseuds/TourmalineQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Assassin's Creed Kinkmeme Part 6, page 19<br/><i>I'm seriously craving genderswapped pregnant!Ezio. I would prefer it in the AC2 Era, and for bisexual!Leonardo to be Mr.Unknowing baby daddy. Maybe it's a drunken tryst on one of the nights that Ezio stays at Leonardo's new Venetian workshop? Maybe Rosa discovers first when Ezio vomits at the smell of Antonio's beloved coffee? Maybe Ezio dismisses the missed periods off as the result of stress? Just one request that is more of an order. None of this "WTF IM PREGNANT HOW DID I NOT KNOW UNTIL I GO INTO FUCKING LABOR" shit, mkay? Love yalls.</i></p><p>This is my response to it.<br/>Chapter the First: Ezio is feeling under the weather, and everybody else seems to know why before she does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter the First

**Author's Note:**

> I love Ezio, but sometimes even in canon he isn't the sharpest sword in the shed, which comes across in this fic as fem!Ezio not being able to read people (and in this case a specific form of ignorance) rather than a lack of intelligence. Slightly played for lulz, but I'm laughing with, not at Ezio.

Ezio needed air. She was lightheaded - _again_. The spells of dizziness and lightheadedness were coming more frequently, in the weeks since Carnevale. Since ... Leonardo. She shook her head and grabbed hold of a window ledge to climb up out of the humid, smelly air of Dorsoduro. Ezio gagged slightly as the potent smell of canalwater wafted over her; it was odd, really: the canal-stink of Venice had never put her off that much, until recently.

She stopped about halfway up the building to rearrange her cleavage. That was something else that had been bothering her for the last few days: she wasn't sure if her robes had shrunk or if her breasts had grown - she hadn't been so uncomfortable since she had begun growing out at age fourteen. She made a face and continued up the building.

She finally crested the roof and clambered awkwardly up onto the tiles, staggering away from the edge and holding her spinning head in both hands. She eventually sat, head resting on her drawn-up knees, feeling sorry for herself. She hadn't felt like this since that time Federico had taken her out with his friends and got her drunk. _Federico_. Ezio's eyes stung as she thought about her big brother; he would have had words with _him_ if he had been around, just like she and Federico had ganged up on Duccio back in Firenze all those years ago.

Maybe she should ask Leonardo - except no, _not_ Leonardo, the artist had wanted nothing to do with her after their night together at Carnevale. Ezio covered her still-stinging eyes with the heels of her hands as she tried not to remember the look of shame on the face of her oldest and dearest friend as he said: _"Ezio, I think I may have made a mistake."_

The sound of thinly covered feet running on tile wakened Ezio from her reverie, and she looked up as Rosa and a few thieves leapt from the next building over to land beside her.

" _Ciao_ , Ezio," Rosa said, grinning madly as she glanced behind her to see if any pursuers would appear; none did. "I must thank you for some of those tricks you showed me. These archers never knew what hit 'em."

" _Nessun problema_ ," Ezio murmured, trying to smile.

The other thieves ran on to report to Antonio, but Rosa sat down beside the bigger girl, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back on her arms; the relaxed opposite of the assassin who was curled around herself in misery.

"You still sulking about that artist?" Rosa asked with her usual tact.

Ezio glared at her. "You're worse than Claudia," she muttered darkly. "And you weren't there the next morning, you didn't see his face. He called me - what we did - he said he'd made a _mistake_!"

Rosa shrugged. "His loss. But don't you have pages from that Codex thing? You know Antonio can't translate them, and your order needs them, and it's been what, three months now? He's probably forgotten all about it. I once went to him to pick something up for Antonio, and three minutes after I arrived he forgot he'd ever met me!"

"So the bright side of Leonardo and me sleeping together is that he might not remember it? Rosa, you are a terrible optimist. I swear, Claudia had a better suggestion of a bright side and that was me and Leonardo _never speaking again_!" 

Angry, Ezio stood up suddenly, with the intention of leaping to another building and getting away from the thief and her silly theories, but a sudden, horrid wave of dizziness overtook her completely. Rosa had to grab Ezio's arm to keep the other girl from falling off the roof to a messy death on the cobbles.

"Ezio?" Rosa asked, surprisingly gently, "you feeling okay?"

Ezio shrugged miserably, a tear leaking from a corner of her eye. "I haven't really felt good since... that day. I feel worse today than any other today, though, I - I -" Ezio trailed off, gagging. Rosa shoved her to the edge of the building to vomit, still holding her tightly so Ezio didn't overbalance and topple off.

The assassin shut her eyes in shame, skin pasty and almost as white as her robes. "I... That's never happened before," she whispered.

"It's okay, Ezio. You probably ate something that disagreed with you. Or maybe you just pricked yourself with your poison blade."

Ezio managed a strangled laugh. "Worst. Optimist. Ever."

"Come on, Ezio. Let's get you to Sister Teodora, hm? She'll probably know someone as good as Leonardo that can make you feel better, yes?" Rosa urged her friend. 

Reluctantly, Ezio nodded. She _hated_ the _dottori_ , and usually preferred to see Leonardo when she needed healing, but Rosa was right; there were others who were as knowledgeable as the artist, and she really needed help.

" _Grazie_ , Rosa."

" _Prego_."

*-*

Rosa settled Ezio in a comfy chair in the brothel, and went to speak to the madam quietly.

"Is something the matter with Ezio? I thought she preferred the company of the thieves? Why have you brought her here?" Teodora asked Rosa. 

"You got something for the girls that get nine-month-bellyaches?" Rosa asked bluntly.

Teodora blinked for a moment, taken aback. "Does Ezio know?"

Rosa laughed quietly. "I don't think so. She knows where babies come from but I don't think anyone told her how they get there."

"And has she?"

" _Sì_ , as recently as Carnevale, with , uhm, someone who from what she says _regrets_ it happening," Rosa said quietly but with emphasis.

Teodora nodded. "I will help her, but she must also _ask_ for help. _Grazie_ , Rosa. You may see yourself out."

The thief nodded and left, waving to Ezio, who waggled her fingers miserably in response. Teodora approached the young assassin, who was surreptitiously looking around her at various vases, bowls, urns and baskets with a singular eye.

Without a word, Teodora sat down beside Ezio and handed her a bucket that had been hidden behind a privacy screen. The assassin thanked her and promptly used it, allowing Teodora to hold her hair out of her face.

" _Mi dispiace_ ," Ezio whispered when she finished.

Teodora said nothing, just offered a damp cloth to wash herself up with. When she judged Ezio had recovered, she sat in a chair across from the couch the assassin occupied, and reached across to cover the young girl's hand.

" _Nessun problema_ , Ezio. It is not the first time I have helped someone in your ... situation," Teodora replied with a gentle smile.

"Sitaution?" Ezio repeated, alarmed. "Oh, no, no, no. Is it - is it the cholera?"

Teodora clamped her lips together to keep from laughing. None of her girls ever assumed cholera first - even during the worst outbreaks of the disease. Ezio was so innocent in so many ways.

"Sister?" Ezio sounded truly upset, now. Teodora had to wonder what was going through her mind.

"It is not the cholera, Ezio. Your ... ailment ... is much more benign than that. Although it may interfere with your order's plans for a while."

Ezio furrowed her brow, trying to parse what Teodora was not saying. "So I am not dying, then?"

Teodora did laugh at that, although not unkindly. "Good heavens, no, Ezio. Many people think this is good news."

"I'm dizzy and puking my guts up, and this is a good thing?" Ezio asked doubtfully.

"Perhaps I should have let Rosa tell you," Teodora murmured, still chuckling lightly.

"Tell me? Tell me what? If it's not cholera, and I'm not dying, then what is it?" Ezio sounded belligerently bewildered.

"Tell me, Ezio, do you remember the last day you bled?" Teodora asked seriously.

"Last week an archer grazed my arm," Ezio said, shrugging out of her robes to show the bandaged appendage.

"The last time you had your _woman_ 's bleeding," Teodora said patiently, trying not to laugh again.

Ezio scrunched up her face, and started counting on her fingers. "When was Carnevale?"

"February, Ezio. It is now April."

" _Sì_ , it was just before-" Ezio stopped herself from speaking. Teodora wondered if she was starting to suspect, or if she was simply keeping quiet out of deference to another. Perhaps she kept time by recalling contracts, and did not wish to divulge too much information.

"Ezio," Teodora said firmly. "You must tell me, have you been intimate with a man since Carnevale?"

"During," Ezio said, eyes focused on a distant point over Teodora's left shoulder. "Not since, but during Carnevale."

"Then I believe you should visit him and tell him the good news: you are going to have a baby."

"A baby! Is it - mine?" Ezio asked numbly.

Teodora did not laugh at that one. "It is as much yours as it is his - _whoever he may be_."

Ezio nodded. "I - I must go. _Grazie_ , Sister. I - may I keep the bucket?"

"Consider it a gift," Teodora said dryly.

*-*


	2. Chapter the Second

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which fem!Ezio decides to give the news to her family before telling her babydaddy. Angst level higher in this chapter than in chapter the first because Maria Auditore is canon compliant.

Ezio fled _La Rosa della Virtù_ , her metaphorical tail between her legs. She was in shock from Teodora's announcement; _I should have let Rosa tell you_ , Ezio sighed, clearly the thief knew exactly what her problem was. She could only hope Rosa would keep her tongue between her teeth and not tell anyone until Ezio herself was ready to talk about it. 

Zio _Mario is going to kill me_ , she thought despondently, _I don't want to tell him_. But she wanted to tell Leonardo even less than she wanted to tell her family. Maybe her mother would actually waken from the listless catatonia she had fallen into since the attack on the Palazzo Auditore.

Hesitating near the Rialto bridge, Ezio glanced in the direction she knew Leonardo's workshop lay in, but shook her head and strode up to the ferry. The artist could wait; this was his fault, anyway.

*-*

Staggering off the boat at Forli, Ezio glared at the hateful ferry and mentally promised herself that she would never, ever, as long as she lived, ever get on another boat again, ever. She couldn't remember feeling seasick when she had travelled with Leonardo, but then, the artist had kept her occupied with talk of all his inventions and paintings and whatnot; today she had just her own company, and nothing to distract her from the movement of the ship and the queasiness in her belly. 

She gagged, hiccupped and staggered over to a nearby barrel to vomit - the stale smell of the marshlands definitely didn't agree with her today. She borrowed a horse and cantered off in the direction of home. _No more boats_ , she vowed again.

*-*

" _Ciao_ , Ezio, you here to look at the book?" Claudia asked as her sister wandered into her study.

Ezio shook her head and waved a hand weakly in disagreement. "Not right now, _sorellina_. Is Mario in his study?"

"How should I know? I'm not his keeper!" Claudia grumbled irritably.

"I really need to talk to him," Ezio said pleadingly. "And - is _Madre_ any better?"

Claudia rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_ , Ezio, thank you for taking the time to _ask_! And how come you got an even bigger chest? That's not fair! Mine's barely there as it is, and you've got _more_ boobs? Fah!"

"I - I just wanted to talk - I - sorry!" Ezio turned away and fled the room as her eyes filled with what looked suspiciously like tears. Claudia sniffed and refused to feel guilty for snapping at her big sister.

Ezio ran outside to the gardens at the rear of the Villa, angrily dashing tears from her eyes. _Why am I crying so much?_ Ezio wondered. _Assassins_ never _cry - could it be the baby?_ Ezio glanced down at herself, brushing a palm lightly along her flat midriff. _I should have asked Rosa or Teodora what it feels like to be with child_ , she rolled her eyes at her own folly and sighed loudly. She stopped to fiddle with the statuette of Artemis, reluctant to really think about her situation just yet.

" _Nipote_!" Mario's voice came from inside the Villa. "Claudia tells me you want to talk!"

Ezio cringed slightly and tiptoed to the door of the study. Mario was leaning against his desk, grinning at Ezio. He threw his arms wide open. "It seems like only last week you were here, hiding in your bedroom, trying to avoid your chores," he laughed, "oh wait, it _was_ last week! Tired of Venezia already, _Nipote_?"

"Um," replied Ezio. "Can - could we go somewhere more private to talk, please, Uncle? Away from the weapon racks?"

Mario blinked. " _Certo, Nipote_ , whatever you like."

*-*

They stood in the Vault beneath the Villa Auditore, Ezio standing in front of the statue of Iltani, while Mario leaned against the balustrade with his arms folded across his chest and a very dark look on his face.

" _Incinta_ ," he said, for the fourth or fifth time.

" _Sì_ " Ezio replied quietly, nodding.

"You. Incinta. By - whom, may I enquire?" Mario asked, deceptively calmly.

"I - I - I would prefer not to say, just yet," Ezio mumbled, looking at Mario's reflection in the polished marble floor.

"You would prefer not to say just yet," Mario repeated. "You are _incinta_ , and you will not say who the father is, am I right?"

Ezio nodded silently, waiting for the explosion of rage that was sure to come.

"Are you ... _happy_ about this, _Nipote_?" Mario asked.

Ezio looked up in surprise, meeting her Uncle's kind expression. " _Non lo so_ , Uncle. I don't know what to think or how to feel just yet."

Mario nodded then strode across the floor to wrap Ezio up in a massive bear hug that squeezed her ribs. "I wish Giovanni were here today, _Nipote_ , he would be so happy for you."

The emotion that Ezio was trying to keep hidden inside overflowed at this and she began sobbing into her Uncle's shirt. She felt Mario tense up in surprise, but he kept hold of her, rubbing comforting circles on her back and muttering soothing nonsense to her. Eventually the tears slowed.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Ezio mumbled.

"I know, Ezio."

"I didn't mean for this..."

"I know."

"I miss Father."

"I know."

"He'd know what to do."

"I know."

"Do ... You know what I should do?"

"I ... no," Mario answered with a wry chuckle. "Sorry, Ezio."

Ezio drew back and shrugged. "It's okay, Uncle. I'm glad you're not angry."

"Just... Don't tell me who it is that has done this to you if there's a sword in the room, hm?"

Ezio nodded vigorously

*-*

"Mama?" Ezio peered into Maria Auditore's bedroom. 

As usual, her mother was kneeling by her bed in prayer. Ezio let herself in, deposited a couple of feather's in Petruccio's box, and sat on the bed beside Maria.

"Mama?" Ezio asked again.

Maria made no response.

"I have something to tell you, Mama. I'm going to have a baby. I - I'm going to be a Mama. You'll be a grandmother soon. Maybe by October," she said softly, looking keenly at her mother for any kind of reaction. There was none. Ezio's shoulders slumped.

"Sorry to bother you, Mama. I - I'll let you get back to - to Petruccio, and Federico, and Padre."

Ezio tiptoed out of the room, and made it to the ladder leading to her attic before she started snivelling. 

*-*

Claudia brought a tray of breakfast up to Ezio's attic the next morning; her sister hadn't appeared for dinner the previous night, Mario said she was probably tired from the journey (which was stupid, in Claudia's opinion, because Ezio made the same trip at least once a month and it didn't tire her, but Mario told Claudia to leave Ezio to sleep it off anyway, and so she had) and so Claudia did the sisterly thing and brought her enough food to make up for her missed meal.

What Claudia hadn't expected was to walk in on Ezio puking noisily into the chamberpot. She raised an eyebrow.

"You go out partying with the _condottieri_ last night?"

Ezio, still out-of-breath from the _worst_ dry-heaving session she could remember, glared at her sister. "I was in bed before the sun had set," she said with a sniff. She stood up with difficulty, loosened the catch on the window and emptied the contents of the chamberpot outside.

"Well it wasn't something you ate," Claudia pointed out acerbically.

"If you _must_ know, Little Sister, I am expecting a baby, and I am told this ... happens. A lot," Ezio retorted irritably.

Claudia's eyebrows rose and her jaw dropped comically. Ezio would have felt smug if she wasn't trying so hard not to vomit again.

" _Idiota_ ," Claudia spat at her sister, "How could you be so stupid? Didn't you make him pull out? Didn't you make him wear a French letter?"

Ezio blinked dimly at her little sister. "What? Pull out where? What has correspondence from _Francia_ got to do with anything?"

" _Jesu Cristo_ , Ezio, you've _lived_ with Courtesans and you never thought to ask them how they prevent babies?" Claudia asked, exasperated with Ezio's wide-eyed innocence. 

" _You_ know how to- _You_ have had _sex_ , Claudia?" Ezio asked, looking scandalised.

"So have you," Claudia retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Only once!" Ezio retorted defensively, "and it - it - he said it was a mistake," she said, trailing off sadly.

Claudia felt bad for her sister. As worldly as she was, having lived all over Toscana and in Venezia, and with all manner of people that she didn't approve of Claudia knowing, sometimes Ezio was more innocent than Claudia herself was; after all, Claudia had been engaged to wed Duccio before Ezio even had a proper suitor. She crossed the room and hugged her sister. 

"It only takes once, _sorella_ ," Claudia said quietly. "You want me to get some pennyroyal tea from the _dottore_?"

Ezio blinked slowly; as innocent as she was, she was aware of the connotations of pennyroyal tea. Slowly, as though still thinking, Ezio shook her head.

"He - he doesn't know. I must tell him first," she whispered.

"Even though it was a mistake?" Claudia asked quietly.

" _I_ never said it was a mistake!" Ezio replied hotly, her temper getting the better of her. "I need to return to Leo- to Venezia," she said decisively.

Claudia nodded. " _Capisco_. But maybe stay for a day or two? I hardly ever get to spend time with you."

" _Va bene_ , but only until the end of the week," Ezio replied, breaking into a yawn as she spoke.

Ezio didn't hear Mario's heavy footsteps at the bottom of the ladder, nor did she notice a horse departing the Villa.

*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zio = Uncle  
> Sorellina = little sister  
> Madre = Mother  
> Nipote = Niece  
> Incinta = Pregnant  
> Non lo so = I don't know  
> Padre = Father  
> condottieri = (Mario's) mercenary soldiers  
> idiota = idiot  
> French letter = condom (probably an anachronistic term because it's more commonly used in Regency!fandom, but let's call it another Animus glitch, shall we?)  
> sorella = big sister  
> capisco = I understand  
> Va bene = okay


	3. Chapter the Third

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mario gives the Shovel Talk to Leonardo da Vinci and Leo has no idea what's going on

Leonardo da Vinci was pottering around in his Venetian workshop, flitting between working on two different paintings, making rough anatomical sketches of a horse from memory, and fiddling with a tail-piece for his flying machine. He was alone in the workshop, having sent his apprentices out to purchase food and some bolts of fabric for the background of a portrait he would soon begin: in truth he had sent the boys out so that he could work on the flying machine; as it was, Ezio was the only person in the world who knew about it, and he intended to keep it that way until he knew it would work. He frowned as he thought of Ezio. He hadn't seen her since their night in bed together at the beginning of this year's Carnevale, and although he was used to her disappearing for weeks at a time, he was beginning to worry about her.

He knew intellectually that Ezio was far better able to look after herself than he was able to look after her, but there was a part of him that felt deeply possessive and protective of her. Her life's work was so dangerous, it was entirely possible that she could be killed in action and he would never know. He also could not understand why she had not returned to him sooner - unless she had been wounded? Or perhaps detained in Toscana on one of her frequent jaunts to the region. 

He smiled as he recalled how she had kissed him, and blushed and smiled so sweetly - Leonardo definitely had no complaints of their night together. In fact, he had been glad of it for more reasons than the progression of their relationship from simple friendship to the intimacy of the physical: as he had awoken from the haze of lovemaking a stark image had formed in his mind of one of the Codex pages which he suddenly realised had been incorrectly translated. 

He grimaced slightly, as he stretched out some papyrus to fit into the tailpiece. Perhaps he ought not have left the bed to fix the page _just_ then, but surely Ezio understood the importance of ensuring the absolute right translation of the Codex? Or perhaps, he thought with a wince, she didn't realise what he had meant: Leonardo loved her dearly, but he was aware that she was new to intimacy - far more so than he had expected, given some of the things she said over the years. And, sometimes he admitted, his mind was farther ahead than his mouth was. And he could not quite recall if he had made mention of the Codex - or any kind of context for the mistake he knew he had spoken of. But surely Ezio knew that their lovemaking was no mistake?

He jumped at a sudden thunderous banging on the door. He shoved the tailpiece onto a workbench, lying it down flat and placing an unwanted canvas over it, before hurrying to open the door. A tall, very broad, older man with a scar over his left eye stood glaring in at him.

"Yes, _signore_? Can I help you? I - Have we met?" Leonardo asked belatedly, for the man seemed familiar somehow.

The man grinned - it was a worrying expression - and nodded. "It's-a me, Mario!"

"Ah, of course! Ezio's Uncle! _Mi dispiace_ , I should have known you right away. Come in, come in," Leonardo said, smiling broadly, throwing the door wide open and ushering him in. Mario nodded civilly and turned to mutter something to someone outside: three well-armed mercenaries, Leonardo saw, before the older man kicked the door shut.

"May I offer you some refreshment? Would you care to sit?" Leonardo asked before realising that he had no food in the pantry - only corpses - and that all of the chairs and benches were covered with papers, canvases and bits and pieces of his trinkets. Mario glanced around, and shrugged.

"I'd prefer to stand," he said, still wearing that peculiar smile.

"Is Ezio with you? I have not seen her in some months. Is she quite well?"

Mario laughed at that. "I _know_ when you saw her last, _amico_. Tell me, did you ever meet Ezio's father?"

"Your brother, _signore_? We met but once, in 1476, after Maria convinced him to invest in some paintings of mine. Why do you ask?" Leonardo replied, trying and failing to understand the look on the other man's face.

"I do not know if you realise this, but Giovanni loved Ezio dearly. _Very_ dearly. Dearly enough to encourage a female to follow in his footsteps in the family business: the bank at first and then... well, you know the rest of it," he said, tugging on the Assassin symbol embroidered on his collar. "He and I were not much alike. Giovanni was... how can I put it? Giovanni was a stiletto, or perhaps a hidden blade, while I am more of a war hammer."

"I ... see," said Leonardo, although he really didn't.

"But one thing my brother and I had in common was our love for our family. Giovanni's family _is_ my family. And anyone that hurts one of my family is in **_serious_** trouble," Mario said seriously.

Leonardo nodded. "I am glad to hear it, _signore_. Ezio, in particular needs someone to look-"

" _YOU_ DO NOT SPEAK TO _ME_ ABOUT _MY_ NIPOTE!" Mario bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Leonardo blinked several times, and straightened his posture: they were of a height. "I am not hard of hearing, _signore_ , so there is no need for you to raise your voice so much," he said mildly, maintaining eye contact with the older man.

Mario's brows lowered and he growled deeply in his throat. Leonardo blinked again.

" _Signore_ ," he said softly but firmly, "I believe there are pertinent facts to which I am not privy. Would you care to enlighten me?"

Mario remained silent for a long time. "Ezio will return to Venezia shortly," he said eventually. "And... If I hear from her that you have done _anything_ further to hurt her feelings, I will visit you once more. And no amount of wealthy patrons will protect you from the wrath of the Auditore. Your body will never be found, and history will forget you ever existed."

In a swift motion, Mario raised his war hammer and brought it down on the canvas that covered the tailpiece of the flying machine, smashing both to smithereens.

"Have I made myself clear?" Mario asked, turning to leave.

"Not especially," Leonardo muttered.

*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there's any new dodgy Italian, but I'll give a gloss anyway :)  
> Signore = sir  
> Mi dispiace = I'm sorry  
> amico = friend  
> nipote = niece


	4. Chapter the Fourth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter the Fourth  
> **  
>  In which Ezio tries to figure out where babies come from and Claudia is no help whatsoever

Claudia left her sister in her attic, sulking and puking. Ezio tried to sleep off the morning sickness as much as she could. By noon she was actually hungry, and ventured downstairs to get something from the kitchens - a simple broth, maybe, that her stomach could handle.

Having eaten a little, Ezio wandered into the Art Gallery her uncle had built, which she was filling with artworks from some of the finest young artists in Italia, including her dear Leonardo. She dragged a chair in front of his picture of The Annunciation, and sat with her elbows on her knees, chin propped on steepled hands, gazing at it. Ezio had no idea how much time passed while she looked at the painting, but Claudia eventually interrupted her reverie.

"What are you doing, Ezio? Moping about your _loverrrrrr_?" Claudia said with an insolent smirk.

"Shut up, Claudia," Ezio retorted, without heat.

"Oooooh, smart mouth, Ezio!" Claudia teased.

"Claudia, shut _up_ ," Ezio repeated angrily, glaring at her younger sister.

"Wanna make me?" Claudia taunted, dodging back out of arms' reach - just in case.

Ezio glared at her, then sighed and turned her attention back to the painting. "You think _she_ knew before the Angel of the Lord told her? Or do you think everyone else had it figured out before she did?" Ezio pointed bitterly at the Virgin Mary.

Claudia, about to retaliate with more teasing, paused and really looked at her sister. Ezio was really unhappy. "What are you talking about, _sorella_?"

"I was the last to know," Ezio muttered, pointing at her belly to make her point. "Rosa had it figured out, Teodora in the brothel... I bet Leonardo knows, too. He's so much smarter than I am," she sighed.

"You're smart, too, Ezio," Claudia said reluctantly. "Leonardo is just... There's nobody else like him in the world."

"You're telling me that?" Ezio asked bitterly. "Nobody else is as smart or as handsome or as kind... And..."

"And?" Claudia asked, desperately curious about this insight into how her sister's mind worked.

"And what could he possibly see in me? I know he -" Ezio cut herself off, stifling a small sob - "I know he only slept with me out of pity, but I did not think it was such a big mistake... It - it felt _good_ , Claudia, you know? And _everybody_ says the first time's no good for a virgin, and _everybody_ says he prefers - that his tastes in lovers are different, but I - I - I _hoped_..." Ezio sniffled and pinched the bridge of her nose to try to stop herself from crying. 

Claudia was staring wide-eyed at Ezio: her sister _never_ spoke about the things she hoped or dreamed, and she had never spoken about someone she liked, not since Christian Vespucci had jilted her just before the Pazzi conspiracy. In five minutes Claudia had learned more about her sister than she had in the previous five years. She didn't quite know what to do.

" _Vaffanculo_ ," Ezio said, glaring at her sister. "Just let me be!"

"Did you tell Leonardo any of this?" Claudia asked, ignoring her sister's glare. "I bet you didn't. I bet the second he said "mistake" you climbed out his window and slunk of to your own place to hide and pretend it never happened - that's why you came back to the Villa for most of February and March, isn't it? _Idiota_!"

" _Scompaia_!" Ezio snarled, making a filthy hand gesture.

"Tell him how you feel! You keep all that stuff to yourself and expect everyone around you to know how you feel," Claudia said scornfully. "And, by the way, _you_ are _no_ Virgin Mary!"

Claudia turned on her heel and stormed off, smirking to herself at getting the last word.

"Yeah? Well, you're mean!" Ezio shouted after her.

Ezio sat back down on her chair to regard Leonardo's painting again. It was hard to tell, because it might have been the fashion, but it looked like the Virgin Mary's belly was round in the painting. Ezio sighed and looked down at hers: she wasn't big or round, yet, but her tummy wasn't as flat as it had been. _How did I not know_? Ezio asked herself. She sat up, leaning against the back of the chair, and dropped her head back, to regard the white marble ceiling.

*-*

_The Year 1470 (Ezio at age 11)_

_"Padre? Where do babies come from?" Ezio asked her father. Giovanni's eyes widened comically._

_"Why do you ask, bambina?" Giovanni asked quietly._

_Ezio shrugged, "something Federico said."_

_Giovanni nodded. "I see. Well, figlia, this is something that you must ask your mother about. She will explain it to you."_

_*-*_

_Maria Auditore was not surprised in the least when her eldest daughter came to her; Giovanni had warned her, even as he had punished Federico for his loose tongue._

_"Babies will come to you when you are wed and your husband comes to you on your wedding night. Any more than that I will not explain until your wedding day, piccolo Tesoro," she said soothingly._

_Ezio nodded slowly, accepting the explanation, and patting Maria's belly, well-rounded with her fourth child. "Okay, Mama."_

*-*

Ezio looked down at her belly again and sighed. "Madre won't even tell me what is to come with you," she told it. "She doesn't even care."

Her stomach growled, and she hiccupped. "Uh-oh."

Ezio ran from the gallery at top speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorella = (big) Sister  
> Vaffanculo = fuck off  
> Idiota = idiot  
> Scompaia = get lost  
> Padre = Father/Dad  
> bambina = daughter  
> piccolo Tesoro = little darling (at least, that was what I asked Google Translate to give me)  
> madre = mother/Mum


	5. Chapter the Fifth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter the Fifth  
>  In Which Ezio procrastinates some more**

Mario returned to Monteriggioni at the end of the week. Ezio asked him where he had been, and he muttered something about showing his _condottieri_ how to do _proper_ intimidation on a suspect he'd tracked down in the north. Mario had promptly disappeared into his study and ignored all attempts to lure him out.

Ezio visited the tailors' in the town, and promptly scandalised them by asking for trousers which would accommodate her belly which would soon begin to show, and for some new robes that would fit over her newly-grown chest. The tailor's assistant sniffed and produced a string to measure her while the owner swooned theatrically and moaned about where the world was coming to. Ezio rolled her eyes and stormed out, threatening to visit the tailor's brother's shop in San Gimignano if he couldn't dress her. Later that day a package arrived at the Villa, containing new, looser-fitting robes in Tuscan Emerald, Tuscan Ember and Florentine Scarlet. 

"What's wrong with Assassin White?" Claudia asked, rolling her eyes.

Ezio shrugged. "It doesn't hide stains very well?"

While Ezio tried on the new robes, Claudia went back over the accounts. When Ezio came back to show her the new clothes, Claudia's eyebrows rose. "How fat does he think you're going to get?"

"I'm not getting fat, I'm pregnant," she muttered indignantly. Ezio clutched the too-loose waist of the trousers and struggled to flatten the front of the robes. The _camicia_ , at least, fit her perfectly. Ezio shook her head. 

"You want to come shopping in San Gimignano with me?" Ezio asked shyly.

"You want _me_ to come shopping with you? Seriously?" Claudia asked in surprise.

Ezio shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't want to go alone, and... You've got the tongue of a harpy on you. You'll get me a good deal."

" _Grazie mille_ ," Claudia replied dryly.

"I meant it as a compliment!"

"Alright, Ezio. Get something decent on, and we'll go."

*-*

The shopping trip left Ezio tired and cranky; she and Claudia bickered amiably the whole way back to the Villa. The sun was setting and Ezio was yawning every few minutes. She all but ran upstairs to her room, and got into bed without pausing even for a light snack.

The next day, Ezio decided to get the architect to design a small room for the baby.

The day after that, Ezio trained with the _condottieri_.

The day after that, Ezio's morning sickness left her suffering in bed from dawn to dusk, and the day after that was spent recovering her dignity.

The day after that Mario summoned Ezio to his study. Ezio stood, arms wrapped around herself, gazing at a spot somewhere over her Uncle's left shoulder.

"Ezio. What are you doing?" Mario asked gruffly.

"Standing at attention?" Ezio tried.

"He still does not know, the father, does he?" Mario asked.

Ezio shook her head.

"Why have you not told him?"

"I - I am ... I am afraid, Uncle," she said in a small voice, keeping her eyes on the ground. 

"Why?"

"He said he had made a mistake, the morning after we... um, you know," Ezio mumbled, gesturing vaguely.

" _Sì, sì_ , I don't need details of _that_ , _nipote_ ," Mario said, grimacing. "Giovanni would kill me if he knew I had allowed... _that_."

Ezio snorted and nodded. "And he would have killed L- uh, my l-lover, too. And... Well... Did I ever tell you about Christian Vespucci?"

Mario raised his brows. "No."

Ezio cringed. "Did Padre?"

"Ezio, your father and I... were not on the best terms when he... I know little about your life before you came to me, save what you have told me," Mario replied sadly.

Ezio gave a small nod; she was aware of that much, not having known Mario when he had saved them on the road. She swallowed hard. "Padre and his father had made an agreement, which I thought he was happy about. He - he spoke so sweetly to me, and his kisses were so... and he made me laugh, and he was _so_ handsome... But Vieri Da'Pazzi got to him, somehow convinced him I was not worth his attentions. And he told _everyone_ as much. All of Firenze was laughing at me, calling me... names. Do you see?"

Mario had known little of Ezio's vendetta against Vieri Da'Pazzi until he saw how Ezio treated the dead boy's body. Now he understood a little more of _why_ his sweet-natured niece had been so vicious. Her heart had been broken; and apparently her confidence had taken quite a damaging blow, too.

" _He_ was in Firenze at that time. He heard the rumours about me. He - he must have believed them: all of Firenze believed those stories about my legs and how _easily_ they spread," Ezio said bitterly.

Mario said nothing for a long time. "I always prided myself on not speaking ill of the dead, but I am glad that little viper has gone beyond my reach," he said at last. "But _nipote_ , Firenze is full of rumours, and anyone would have to have sawdust between the ears to believe all of them," he pointed out. "Rumours of homosexuality even dogged your friend the artist, but you didn't let them stop you from getting close to him."

"Well, of course not! But Leonardo is _different_ , Uncle," Ezio said earnestly. "I'm just... _Me_ , but Leonardo is - _incredibile_."

Mario raised his brows at that, but let it pass unremarked. "The past is behind us, _nipote_ , and I'm sure your Le- lover knows you are worth the whole world. And if he doesn't, _I_ will make him see that, _capisce_?"

" _Grazie_ , Uncle!" Ezio smiled winningly and threw her arms around Mario's neck and hugged him tight.

Mario coughed and cleared his throat in surprise. "Now, _nipote_ , will you go to him and tell him?"

"Um," Ezio replied, ducking her head. "Do I have to go by boat? I don't want to get seasick again."

*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Camicia = a fine cotton or linen undershirt (typically a male garment, but I figure under all that leather and/or armour, Ezio needs something soft against her skin, so she gets one)  
> Grazie mille = thanks a lot  
> Incredibile = incredible  
> Capisce = do you understand?


	6. Chapter The Sixth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter the Sixth  
>  In Which Ezio Continues to Procrastinate and Claudia Decides to Meddle**

Claudia came across Ezio pretending not to hide in the pantry. The elder was arguing with the cook about what she should be eating; from what Claudia overheard, Ezio was having some odd cravings, and Cook did not approve.

" _Mi scusi_? Ezio?"

Ezio turned to her sister with a dark look. " _Sì_?"

"I was just wondering when you were going back to Venezia," Claudia said innocently.

"Trying to be rid of your big sister?" Ezio asked, looking hurt.

"No, I just, I'm not used to you staying so long, that's all," Claudia mumbled guiltily.

Ezio sighed and looked at the floor. Cook glared at them irritably and with a noisy clearing of the throat. Ezio rolled her eyes and jerked her head. They left the kitchens and went out to the gardens. Ezio went to the miniature statue of Minerva and fiddled with it.

"Well?" Claudia asked, running out of patience.

"I don't want to go to Venezia," Ezio said quietly.

"WHAT?" Claudia screeched. "But - the father, he is there? Is that it?"

"NO!" Ezio said in a pained tone. "I - I want to see _him_ , obviously. It's just... Well..."

"Well what?" Claudia snapped. "You're procrastinating."

"No-oo," Ezio said slowly, avoiding her sister's gaze. "I just... I don't... Idonwangooonaboat," she muttered, blushing furiously. "And Uncle Mario said I can stay for as long as I like!"

Claudia rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, heading back indoors.

*-*

Later, in Mario's study Claudia accosted her uncle.

"She's already sick as a dog, Claudia, and I see no benefit to forcing her to do anything she does not want to do," Mario said quietly, glancing to the doors.

"Ezio's up in her room," Claudia said dismissively. "Probably asleep already. How is Leonardo ever going to find out about this if she won't tell him, hm?"

"She told you who it was?" Mario asked, impressed despite himself.

Claudia shrugged. "I made an educated guess and she confirmed it. She never actually admitted anything, but it's _so_ obvious."

"Don't tell Ezio I said this, but I agree. She has not covered her tracks very well. I wonder if perhaps we should extend an invitation to the artist to come here? At least that way Ezio might have a chance to talk with him before the baby comes. I doubt she'll go near a ship again before then," Mario thought out loud.

" _Buona idea_ , Uncle. I'll leave tomorrow," Claudia said decisively.

"What? _You_?" Mario's jaw dropped.

" _Sì_ , Uncle. Me."

"No."

"Yes."

*-*

Claudia and Mario argued long into the night, but Claudia finally wore Mario down - but not without conceding that she would take an armed escort of his _condottieri_ to protect her. Claudia smirked as she left Mario's office to pack. She always got her way.

*-*

The journey to Venezia was entirely uneventful, but, as she disembarked in San Polo a pair of pickpockets grabbed her coin purse. The _condottieri_ would have given chase, but Claudia stopped them. Instead, she walked to the Rialto and browsed the market stalls.

Less than an hour later, Rosa strolled up to her, ignoring the bristling soldiers, and tossed the purse back.

"You know," the thief remarked, "you could have _written_ and _asked_ for my help. All this hiding notes in coin purses business can get messy."

Claudia grinned. "Ezio is too nosy. If I had been asking her for your address she would have cottoned on to the plan. She's clever, our Ezio."

Rosa snorted. "Not clever enough."

Claudia bristled. "Hey! Keep your mouth off my sister! _I'm_ the only one that's allowed to say things like that!"

Rosa stifled a laugh and held up her hands, palm-out as a sign of surrender. "Okay, _Signorina_ Auditore. So what did you have in mind?"

Claudia smirked. "I know who he is."

Rosa grinned. "I know _where_ he is."

"Ezio _told_ you?" Claudia asked, shocked.

" _Posso imaginaire_ ," Rosa said with a small laugh. "She's not exactly what I would call subtle about her crush on the artist."

"Hmph," Claudia grunted and folded her arms, glaring. "Venetian," she muttered, making it sound like an insult.

Rosa laughed again. "Ezio wasn't kidding about you, was she? Come on, let's go surprise Leonardo."

*-*  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mi scusi = Excuse me?  
> Buona idea = Good idea  
> Signorina = Miss  
> Posso imaginaire = I can guess/imagine


	7. Chapter the Seventh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **In Which Leonardo Still Doesn't Know What's Going On and also Salaì is there**

"So how come Ezio didn't come herself?" Rosa asked Claudia as they strolled towards Leonardo's bottega.

Claudia shrugged. "She's procrastinating. I think she's afraid of what Leonardo will say or do. Not to mention she's really nauseous and probably doesn't want to puke on his boots," she grinned wickedly. She turned serious again, musing, "I think Leonardo's bad habits are starting to rub off on her."

Rosa chuckled. "Sounds to me like Leonardo rubbing _on_ Ezio has caused most of our problems."

Claudia gasped, goggling wide-eyed at the thief for a long minute before cackling loudly. "D-don't let Ezio hear you say that," Claudia said around her giggles. 

"Or Leonardo," one of the _condottieri_ muttered. "A man that size, I wouldn't want to annoy him."

Rosa and Claudia snorted in mutual amusement and nodded their agreement. They approached a redbrick building with an ornate door. Rosa knocked three times, and they waited. A curly-haired assistant opened the door and rolled his eyes, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

"Maestro, your portrait has arrived," he called in, blocking the doorway.

"Yes, yes, yes, let her in, please, and get some refreshments ready," Leonardo called, sounding hassled.

The youth made a face and turned back to Claudia and Rosa, pasting on a false smile. "Madonna, won't you come in and make yourself comfortable?"

Claudia crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the youth, who fought not to laugh, and made her way inside. She pressed a finger to her lips, directing the gesture at Rosa, who nodded and smiled as she followed Claudia inside. Mario's mercenaries waited outside.

They made themselves comfortable while they waited for Leonardo, who they could hear bustling around in the private quarters of the bottega. The artist's apprentice produced a dish of fruit and a bottle of wine and some glasses. They sipped the wine and joked around with the boy for a few minutes, while they heard odd noises coming from the private apartments. After a particularly loud clatter, Rosa turned to the boy and said bluntly, "what's he packing for?"

The apprentice looked startled and fled the room, calling apologies. Leonardo appeared not long after, frowning as he ran a hand absently through his dishevelled hair.

" _Le mie più umili scuse... Signorina_ Claudia? What brings you here? Are you to sit for a painting?" Leonardo was mumbling abjectly, before halting in shock when he saw his guest.

Claudia glared at him. "Ezio _manda I suoi saluti_ ," she said angrily.

Leonardo raised his brows. "First her Uncle, now her sister. Is it possible there is a reason Ezio has been avoiding me of late? And sending emissaries in her place?"

"Ezio didn't send us," Rosa said quietly. "In fact, I'd be worried about her reaction if she found out about this little visit. But something needs to be done. She's... hiding, Maestro."

Leonardo raised his brows. "Hiding? That does not sound like the Ezio I know. Would either of you care to elaborate?"

"First, will you answer a question for me?" Claudia asked.

Leonardo nodded.

"Rosa thinks you're packing. Are you? Where are you going?"

Leonardo sighed. "I have been trying to contact Ezio in all of her local hiding places, to no avail. But I know she has a home close to San Gimignano and Firenze, and I was going to visit her there, and hopefully try to speak with her. I miss her," he added sadly.

"She misses you, too," Claudia said quietly, suddenly understanding how Ezio could fall for the artist. 

"You might want to see her sooner rather than later," Rosa pointed out.

"What? Why? Is there something wrong with her?" Leonardo looked panicky.

"Um," Claudia muttered, sending a Look to Rosa. "I want to tell you something very important, but... It's not my secret to tell. Not that it's a secret, but..."

"But it is a confidence we are not privileged to break," Rosa finished for her.

"But is she going to die?" Leonardo asked urgently.

"Yes," said Rosa, making Leonardo cringe and turn white as a sheet. "But not for _years_ and years. Right now? She's... working on a project... the exact opposite of what she does as an Assassin," Rosa said cryptically. Claudia rolled her eyes at her co-conspirator's dramatic turn. Leonardo was frowning slightly, and Claudia could practically hear the wheels turning behind his eyes.

"Will you come with us to Monteriggioni?" Claudia asked suddenly.

"I..." Leonardo looked surprised.

"Ezio would like to see you," Rosa added, "possibly enough to welcome you naked."

"Rosa!" Claudia admonished. She looked at Leonardo, who was blushing furiously. "She has a point, Leonardo. Ezio has the most private room in the Villa."

" _Le cose che devo fare_ ," Leonardo muttered through his steepled hands. "Very well, Claudia, I will go to Monteriggioni with you. Just give me a moment to gather my things."

He retreated to the private apartments, and Claudia and Rosa high-fived each other.

*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le mie più umili scuse = my most humble apologies  
> manda I suoi saluti = sends her greetings  
> Le cose che devo fare = the things I must put up with


	8. Chapter the Eighth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **In Which Ezio's Procrastination has Reached Ridiculous Levels And Leonardo Da Vinci's Puppy Dog Eyes(TM) Prove Ineffective**
> 
> Just a short one this time around!

Rosa walked the small group to the ferry and waved them off as the ship departed La Serenissima. Leonardo proved as stubborn in his way as Ezio was in hers, asking Claudia and Rosa (and each of the condottieri) every other minute for some manner of explanation about Ezio's circumstances and why she had not come to see him personally. 

Claudia glared at Rosa when the thief commented that she was glad not to be stuck in close quarters with a man whose mind worked as quickly as Leonardo's - she would not enjoy being cooped up with a man like him who would doubtless be bored the entire way.

"I can out-are-we-there-yet _anyone_ , Venetian," Claudia had muttered irritably. "I grew up with Ezio, remember?"

The small group settled onto the ship, and Leonardo waved enthusiastically to Rosa from the stern as they pulled out into open water.

"I liked her, she was so _attraente_ , was she not?" Leonardo said, turning to Claudia with a bright smile.

"She was okay," Claudia conceded, "for a _Venetian_."

Leonardo chuckled. "Ezio has long found her to be a good friend and a valuable ally. Speaking of your sister, may I enquire as to her health at present?"

Claudia raised her brows sceptically. "You may _ask_ , Leonardo. At present I cannot say, because, well, I'm here and she is not. But she was fine when I saw her last. Asleep in her chamber when I left Monteriggioni."

"Ah, but signorina Claudia, now that you and I are in private, we may speak candidly with one another, may we not?" Leonardo asked, gazing intently into Claudia's eyes.

"It depends on what you want to speak candidly about," Claudia replied. "I will not break confidence with my sister."

"But Rosa knows of Ezio's condition, as do you, and clearly so do these fine mercenaries. I am the last one to know, and I find that is an intolerable position to be in," Leonardo replied, his expression both pleading and sorrowful.

"Are we there yet?" Claudia asked hopefully.

*-*

In Monteriggioni, the very same day that Claudia had departed for Venezia, Ezio was beginning to feel restless. It was rare for her to remain in one place for very long, and she had spent most of the last three months in the Villa not hiding from Leonardo da Vinci and her confusing feelings towards him. 

Maria was still catatonic, and as much as Ezio wished she had someone to talk to about her situation; the local dottore was a leech-wielding maniac who knew only about the end of pregnancy, and relished the chance to make Ezio's face turn pale with horror stories of the worst labours he had attended. 

There was nobody else she could turn to: Ezio left a note for her uncle and took her favourite horse from the stable and left Monteriggioni at the gallop, heading for Forlì. Caterina Sforza was the most maternal woman Ezio knew.

 _Better a ride to Forli than a boat to Venezia, anyway_ , Ezio thought with a grimace.

*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one ~~Animus glitch~~ translation  
>  Attraente: charming


	9. Chapter The Ninth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **In Which Ezio Travels Through Romagna and Caterina Sforza Gives Good Advice**

Ezio had slowed to a sustainable canter once she was far enough from Monteriggioni not to be caught and brought back by Mario's mercenaries. It was a nice ride through the Appenine countryside that she rarely paid any attention to in the past, and was pleasantly surprised to find some small, unattended chests with a bit of coin to fill her purse. Ezio smiled, feeling lucky, as the terrain turned from lush greenery to darker forestry, and darker marshland. She slowed her horse once the terrain grew dangerous: she definitely didn't want the poor creature to break a leg, not to mention the damage a fall could do to _her_ in her condition.

The problem with travelling slowly through the marshlands was the smell. Every time Ezio took her horse off the road to avoid the human traffic, she gagged at the stench of standing water. As she approached the walls of Forli, the smell from the still water of the moat wafted over Ezio, and she slid off her horse's back and threw herself across the wooden fence near a horse trough, heaving and retching miserably. Some passersby commented on how the night before must have been fantastic, or asked rhetorically if the father knew she was out alone. Ezio tried to give them the finger, but needed both hands to keep her balance. Eventually, her body tired of fighting, and she hauled herself upright, only to sink down to the ground on hands and knees beside the trough; at least the water in that was fresh enough. Ezio used a handful to wipe her sweaty brow, then glanced around for her horse, only to startle when she noticed her audience.

Surrounded by an honour guard, Caterina Sforza was staring at Ezio with a look of great surprise on her features.

"Ezio Auditore, what on Earth-" Caterina started towards her young friend.

Ezio took one look at her noble friend who came towards her with arms outstretched, looked down at her own dishevelled appearance, and promptly burst into tears. Caterina hesitated in surprise, then wrapped her arms around Ezio, hugging her warmly.

"What troubles you, _cara_?" Caterina asked quietly.

Ezio shook her head. "I - I don't want to talk about it - not here," she pleaded.

"Then you will join me in Rocca di Ravaldino, and there we will talk, yes?"

Ezio nodded. Caterina gestured, and some of her men came forward carrying a _seggiolo_ , and the two ladies sat into it.

"Take care of Fuzzy," Ezio called out to the soldier assigned to walk the horse back to the castle.

"Fuzzy?" Caterina asked, giggling.

"Well, he is fuzzy," Ezio said defensively. "And the name Spots was already taken."

*-*

Ezio had rarely been gladder to bathe in her life; washing the dirt of travel, and the smell of marsh out of her skin and hair was remarkably satisfying, and went a long way towards making her feel like herself again. She dressed in rich, sumptuous velvet, dyed Wetlands Auburn, which was clearly one of Caterina's hand-me-downs. Ezio didn't really mind, it reminded her of the way she had dressed before... Uberto Alberti.

Ezio was unsurprised to see Caterina waiting for her in her bedchamber, when she left the dressing room. The Contessa of Forlì inclined her head and indicated that Ezio should take a seat before the fire: Ezio's bedchamber was large enogh to have a big fireplace and some comfortable chairs had been placed in front of it.

"I have never known you to weep, Ezio Auditore," Caterina said curiously, as she sat.

"Is Fuzzy alright?" Ezio asked stubbornly.

"Your horse is well looked after, Ezio. Now I would like to know how it is that I stumbled across you, barely aware, puking in my lands, and then weeping like a child," Caterina said chidingly.

"I - I am _incinta_ , Contessa Sforza. I - I was hoping you might have some... advice for me?" Ezio said reluctantly. "And - I apologise for getting sick, it is just - the Wetlands smell did not agree with me. The scent of _caffè_ does the same thing to me."

"Ezio - please - I am Caterina, as I am sure I have told you before," Caterina said, smiling warmly and grasping Ezio's wrist comfortingly.

"Papa raised me to be polite, Caterina, and... I wasn't sure... After you saw my shame..." Ezio's throat felt tight, and she fought tears. _Not more crying!_

"Have you felt it yet, Ezio?" Caterina asked after tactfully giving Ezio a minute to collect her thoughts.

"Felt what?" 

"The baby. Do you feel flutterings inside?"

Ezio looked blankly at her, so she laughed, not unkindly, and patted Ezio's hand. "You have much to look forward to, Ezio. Or did you come to me looking for an end to your... situation?"

Ezio glared at the older woman. "The Order can go fuck itself if it thinks I will get rid of my baby."

Caterina nodded. "I only asked because I was asked the same thing. It is an option, and one you are welcome to refuse. Especially in _my_ home. You may remain here if the Order gets... vocal about your situation."

" _Grazie mille_ , Caterina, but I suspect that _Zio_ Mario would murder anybody who even made the suggestion within his hearing," Ezio replied, smiling properly.

"Good. I am glad to hear it. Now, what manner of advice were you hoping for?" Caterina asked, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"Um," Ezio paused. "I don't know anything about having babies. Can you tell me everything?"

Caterina chuckled. "Probably I can, Ezio; I have so many children I have seen, heard and felt it all. Is there anything you especially wanted to know about?"

"How do I stop all this puking? It's no fun at all."

*-*

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cara = love (intended in a sisterly manner - not sure if I got the spirit/intent of the word wrong in this case)  
> Seggiolo = a type of sedan chair that was popular in Italy in the late Renaissance  
> incinta = pregnant  
> caffè = coffee


	10. Chapter the Tenth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter the Tenth  
> **  
>  In Which Nothing Goes According To Plan and the Plot Thickens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apologies for taking so long with this, OP. A combination of RL problems and Muses fighting me meant that the three times I tried to write it across the weekend were utter failures. I hope this makes up for it!

Aboard the ferry approaching the Romagna docks, Claudia gritted her teeth and turned to Leonardo with a parody of a smile pasted to her lips.

"Leonardo, I believe we are about to dock. _Please_ stop asking about Ezio! You know I would tell you if I thought she would not mind, but it is her news to break or withhold as she sees fit. _Per favore_ , get your luggage ready for the ride to Monteriggioni," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral. _Ezio could learn a thing or three about persistence from this one_ , she thought irritably.

"Of course, _signorina_ Claudia. Before I do so, may I offer you both my most humble apologies and my suspicions? I do not wish to worry unnecessarily, and perhaps you could allay some of my fears," Leonardo replied with a small bow.

Claudia rolled her eyes. "We'll be in Monteriggioni by nightfall, Leonardo. Surely your fears can wait?"

"Has she contracted cholera?" Leonardo asked relentlessly.

"No, Leonardo. She is in no immediate danger. Now, I believe your bags are over there?" Claudia gestured generally away from where they stood in the ship's stern, and she turned aside, ostensibly observing with avid interest, the process of the ship pulling in to the dock tying up.

Leonardo observed Claudia's performance with his lips curled in amusement. " _Va bene_ , Claudia, I shall cease and desist in my questioning."

" _Finally_ ," Claudia muttered tiredly.

"I should very much like to ask your sister why she has concealed her pregnancy from me," Leonardo said airily, and turned to attend to his luggage, leaving Claudia with her jaw hanging loose and eyes gaping wide, utterly shocked.

*-*

Mario was waiting on the quay for the group to disembark. He gripped Leonardo's shoulder and hugged his niece, who took the opportunity to mutter into his ear, "Leonardo knows, he knows, I don't know how but he knows!"

Mario stood back and turned his steely gaze on the artist. "So, Leonardo, Claudia tells me you have made an assumption about my _nipote_."

"A guess," Leonardo corrected gently. "I made a guess about Ezio's "condtion" which your neice has confirmed by virtue of her silence. "Condition" is a word which is frequently used as a euphemism for pregnancy, and Claudia and Rosa have been consistently evasive towards me; that as well as your little visit some weeks ago made me suspicious, not to mention the fact that Ezio has all but disappeared from my life lately, ever since we were intimate. I cannot help but think that all this circumstantial evidence leads to the obvious conclusion. I am not a fool, _messere_ , and I do not appreciate being treated like one by your family." Leonardo spoke courteously but with a steely undertone and an expression in his eyes that brooked no prevarication from Ezio's family.

Mario gestured and the group left the Romagna docks, walking purposefully towards the nearest stables.

"I would rather that Ezio had been here in Romagna to tell you herself," Mario said with a sigh. "However, she has left Monteriggioni in search of some... maternal advice. We shall have to go to Firenze, and _La Rosa Colta_ to find her."

Leonardo looked surprised but said nothing. Claudia sighed softly and said, in response to his unasked question, "Mother is still... recovering from what happened to Father, Federico and Petruccio. And the way the guards... handled her. She has not spoken since that day. I think Ezio hoped this... news might bring her back to us, but so far it has not."

Leonardo nodded solemnly. "I am troubled to hear that. Madonna Maria is quite dear to me. I had wondered why Ezio did not speak of her."

The group mounted up, leaving Leonardo's luggage with the _condottieri_ to bring to Monteriggioni. They trotted along the path, carefully avoiding the pedestrian traffic. Close to the gates of Forlì, Leonardo caught sight of a familiar horse.

"That animal, does it not remind you of Ezio's Fuzzy?" Leonardo asked Claudia.

The girl shrugged. "It's a horse. Lots of horses that colour in Toscana, Romagna... I doubt Ezio would leave her horse here and take a carriage to Firenze."

Mario interrupted. "She left Monterrigioni. Firenze is far closer to the Villa than Forlì is, and she has friends in Firenze. That's where she will be."

Leonardo nodded. "Forgive me, Mario, Claudia, but I really must visit a patron of mine in the city walls. I made a promise to visit the next time I was in Romagna, and since we do not know where Ezio currently is, I will be of no use to you in the Villa. Perhaps I could follow you on tomorrow."

He turned his horse and had disappeared inside the city gates before Mario could argue against it. Claudia and Mario looked at each other and rolled their eyes in a matching motion.

"Artists, pah," Mario muttered. "Come, _nipote_ , let us get as close to Firenze as we can before dark."

*-*


	11. Chapter the Eleventh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part the Eleventh  
> In Which Ezio's Right Hook Proves Ineffective and Leonardo Finally Understands

****  
*-*-*  
  
Leonardo strode purposefully through the gates of Forlì and dscanned the crowded marketplace, hoping against hope to see the familiar white cowl he knew so well. He only got mildly distracted when he spotted in the Art Gallery just the right shade of ochre for the painting sitting in his bottega, half-complete.   
  
Purchase made, Leonardo left the marketplace, and continued towards the fortress. If Ezio wasn't shopping, she would be with the Contessa Sforza, he believed.  
  
In fact, even as Leonardo strode uphill towards the _Ravaldino_ , Ezio was leaving it, heading for the marketplace. So Leonardo was correct in his assumption, if his timing was off, somewhat.  
  
Leonardo paused in the Piazza near the cathedral to admire the _campanile_. He wondered if Ezio had climbed it yet, and decided that if she hadn't yet, he would not permit her until after the baby came. If not for Ezio and the baby's wellbeing, then for his own. If Ezio climbed that monstrously high bell tower while carrying his child, Leonardo doubted his ability to survive it. Gazing at the tower, he allowed himself a moment to wonder what his and Ezio's child might be like.  
  
Thus distracted, Leonardo was unaware of his surroundings until he bumped into a finely dressed noblewoman in a beautiful auburn gown. Apologising profusely, Leonardo bowed low, only to look up into Ezio's surprised eyes.  
  
"Leonardo?" ashen-faced Ezio choked out a shocked whisper.  
  
"Ezio! _Cara mia!_ " Leonardo smiled and opened his arms wide.  
  
" _Leonardo_?" Ezio asked again, looking less shocked, and less pleased than Leonardo had expected.  
  
"Ezio. So good to see you," Leonardo said quietly, seriously.  
  
Ezio drew back her right fist and let fly, but Leonardo caught it, and drew it up to his lips and kissed her pulse-point.  
  
"I have missed you-oof!" Leonardo bent double and gasped for breath as Ezio drew her left hand back for another uppercut.  
  
"You - You - _What we did was not a mistake_!" Ezio cried out, angrily dashing hot tears from her eyes.  
  
Still gasping for air Leonardo reached out and caught hold of her fisted hand.   
  
"I ... *gasp* ... Never ... *gasp* ... Said that ... *gasp* ... It was," he wheezed.  
  
"Oh no?" Ezio asked, temper flaring. "No sooner had we finished _making love_ than you told me you had _made a mistake_! And you rushed away from y- _our_ bed! Well, you didn't! _We_ didn't!" Ezio stamped her foot and wrenched her hand from Leonardo's grip.  
  
"I said that _I_ had made a mistake. I perhaps ought have given you more context, but when I returned to our bed, moments later, _you were gone_ , without so much as a note or a by-your-leave," Leonardo retorted angrily. "Perhaps, had you waited a mere moment you would have realised that I had gone back to work on the Codex page you had brought me."  
  
Leonardo indicated the pouch on his belt, where Ezio could make out the shape of a rolled-up parchment; she _had_ asked him to translate another piece of her Assassin family's puzzle before they had been distracted by... other pastimes, she recalled. Flushing with shame she dropped her gaze to the ground.  
  
"Oh. That did not occur to me. I had never before ... It was my first... After Vespucci... I was so afraid, Leonardo," Ezio whispered, all the fight going out of her. "I am not used to being so vulnerable."  
  
"I know," Leonardo replied softly, cupping her cheek gently, brushing away a stry tear with his thumb. "I never thought to find myself attracted to a woman - you know my, er, my history. Saltarelli. Do you think I was not afraid? WAs I, too, not vulnerable?"  
  
Eyes closed, Ezio shrugged. "You are so far above me, Leonardo, you could have anyone you wished for, man or woman. What am I to someone so... so _good_ , and _kind_ , and _loving_? I am but a killer with a fancy title. I should never have even been your friend, but - I am a selfish girl, Leonardo. I want all of you, all of the time."  
  
Leonardo stepped closer to her, and guided her head to rest on his shoulder, letting his hands sit at her waist. Instinctively, Ezio snuggled into his embrace. A passing washer woman cooed and awwwed at the pair's chaste embrace. Without looking, Ezio directed her middle finger at the onlooker.  
  
"Ezio. I am a man of peace, this is true. However, you fight, and yes take lives, so that I and all the rest of the world, may be free to be pacifists, or live as we wish, away from the ruling control of the Templars. You are _not_ a glorified killer. You are my Ezio. And I love you, I want all of you, too. And - I had suspected - you are carrying my child?" Leonardo asked quietly.  
  
Ezio nodded into Leonardo's shoulder. "I have been puking almost constantly. It is no fun at all, this motherhood business," she said plaintively.  
  
Leonardo locked his suddenly-weak knees, and hugged Ezio tighter. His breathing began to shorten, and he felt light-headed.  
  
"Leonardo? Are you alright?" Ezio asked, worried.  
  
"It is one thing to suspect, and quite another to have those suspicions confirmed by the pregnant mother-to-be of your child," he laughed weakly. "I ... I am not sure ... I do not know how to be a father... I have nothing to draw on. Ser Piero never acknowledged me. I grew up in the stables until he could earn money by sending me to Maestro Verrocchio. What if I take after him? What if my son hates me?"   
  
Leonardo blanched and looked around for a bench to sit on. It was too low for a man of his height and he dropped his head almost to his knees in an attempt to breathe more easily.  
  
Gently, Ezio rubbed the back of Leonardo's neck. "What if I enter a catatonia like my Mama? We all have problems, Leonardo. What we must do is note what poor behaviours we have grown up with, and do the opposite thing. Or at least avoid repeating them. Besides, you can always ask _Zio_ Mario for advice."  
  
"Is he a father? I did not know you had cousins."  
  
"No, but my father spoke to him about us. And he remembers my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather. And maybe when the baby comes, my mother will waken up again to help us," Ezio added, wringing her fingers in an unconscious gesture of doubt and worry.  
  
Leonardo nodded and sucked in a great, deep breath of air. "And we have time to figure things out before the baby comes."  
  
Ezio grinned. "You're so clever, you'll know everything by the time my labour begins, I am positive."  
  
Leonardo caught her fingers and kissed them absently. "What shall we do now?"  
  
"My things are in the castle with Caterina. She will help us, too. Then, maybe we ought to go back to Monteriggionni, I suppose."  
  
Leonardo nodded. "Your uncle and sister think you went to Firenze."  
  
Ezio raised her brows, "really? So we'll have privacy at the Villa? This day just gets better and better."  
  
Leonardo stood, and tucked Ezio's hand into the crook of his elbow. "Come, _cara_ , let us tell Caterina she no longer needs to provide us with accommodation."  
  
*-*

**Author's Note:**

> My dodgy Italian is brought to you courtesy of ~~an animus glitch~~ Google translate
> 
> Ciao = Hi  
> Nessun problema = no problem  
> dottori = doctors  
> Grazie = Thank you  
> Prego = You're welcome  
> Sì = Yes  
> Mi dispiace = I'm sorry


End file.
